Sure, babies have attention spans as tiny as their little selves. But the great thing about babies is also that it doesn’t take a lot to entertain them. Looking out the window at the birds calling thrills them. An empty cardboard box means tons of fun. Water coming out of the showerhead is fascinating.
So if you’re racking your head for things to do with your tot, or think they are bored, here are some things you can do that are both cheap and fun!
Rip it up
We may have no idea why, but babies love playing with paper. Every time my girl gets her hands on a paper she shreds it up in an instant. Maybe its the sound, maybe she is being creative but to feed her enthusiasm, just give her a stack of used paper! It’ll keep them occupied and away from your books and magazines!
Talk to the animals
Babies find animals naturally fascinating, and you don’t actually need a pet to expose them to some furry friends. Simply bring them over to the neighbourhood pet store. She’ll love watching the puppies and kittens and birds and fishies, and you can identify each one for her and help her wave hello!
Make music
These little people love different sounds. You can feed this interest without spending on musical instruments or toys that make sounds (which they’ll grow bored of after a few days). Simply bring out a few pots and plastic containers from the kitchen and show her how to pound on them with a wooden spoon or spatula. My girl loves to kick around a giant mineral water bottle, and sometimes we’ll put rice or little paper clips in them so they make a different sound.
Soak in a tub
If you have a bath tub, a soak in warm water can be an awesome way to relax and unwind. Sing a bath song (my girl loves Sesame Street’s “Rubber Duckie”), throw in bath toys and plastic cups, it’s a great bonding experience, everyone gets clean and its really fun. On a hot day, you can even do this outside in an inflatable tub!
Dance, dance, dance!
My baby does this with her grandmother and boy, does she have tons of fun. We put on any music, and my mother practices her belly dance moves for the baby. Sometimes we pick baby up to dance along and she loves it!
